Yogi Berra once said, “When you come to the fork in the road, take it.” He could have been describing the dilemma that entrepreneurs face when searching for, and then hiring an affordable public relations firm. It’s a confusing process, even if you already have some sense of how PR works. If you are not familiar with public relations (and why would you be?), it can be challenging to figure out the right course of action.
One problem is that you have more than one good option. You could go with a retainer-based PR firm, which charges anywhere from $10,000 to over $100,000 a month to represent you to the media. Chances are, that’s out of your budget range, even if most of these firms are excellent. You may have the option of hiring a freelance publicist by the hour. Fees vary widely, from $35 an hour to $200+ per hour. It’s a “you get what you pay for” sort of thing, but prices are not always correlated to quality and outcomes.
We offer public relations services on a fixed-price basis. We’ve found that this works well for entrepreneurs, non-profits, and small businesses that want to hire an affordable PR firm. However, if you’re thinking, “I need to hire an affordable PR firm,” you can make an informed decision by thinking through what you actually need.
Broadly speaking, you probably need one of two types of PR service: Press releases for SEO purposes vs. public relations with the goal of getting media coverage, i.e., “earned media.” You might need both, but it’s useful to keep them separate through the vendor selection process.
I need affordable press release writing and distribution
If you want to get affordable press release writing and distribution service for search engine optimization (SEO) or get inexpensive press release distribution for entrepreneurs, you almost certainly do not need a full-service PR firm or even an experienced PR freelancer. You can have a freelancer write your press release—or do it with AI, at least as a first draft—and then use a distribution service like EIN Press Wire to syndicate it out to news sites.
The distribution/syndication process gets your press release indexed by search engines and picked up on sites that show up in search. A couple of key facts to keep in mind, however:
- Having a press release picked up in distribution is not the same as having an article written about your business by a reporter. The press release will say that it is paid content.
- PR distribution should be part of an SEO program, but it cannot do all the work. It’s a positive factor in SEO, not the total solution.
- Almost all press release distributors make URLs embedded in press releases into “no-follow” links.
- Distributed press releases generally have little positive impact on AI-based search, e.g., ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc.
I need earned media coverage
If your goal is to find a US public relations consultant for entrepreneurs or find affordable public relations services for small businesses, your best choice might be to work with a freelancer or a fixed-price gig provider like Comms Factory. Either one can work with you to understand your unique story and execute on pitches that present it optimally to the press.
Book a media strategy session with prospective vendors
The best way to figure out what you need and who is the right vendor is to book a media relations strategy session now with a prospective PR service provider. You can ask the questions you want to ask and speak with someone who will (or should) offer practical advice on how to hire budget-friendly publicists for startup growth.
To book a media strategy session with Comms Factory, visit https://calendly.com/hughta/free-consultation-reddit-clone